Cane mill



Feb. 28, T1933.v E. w. KoPKE ET Al.

CANE MILL Filed April 17, 1929 3 sheets-sheet 1 Feb. 28, 1933. E w. KOPKE ET AL CANE MILL Filed April 17, 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 4 5 L 2 5 .w a 5 .0 o W M Feb. 28, 1933. E. w KQPKE ET AL 1,899,202

CANE MILL Filed April 1'7, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Pimped` Feb. 2s,- 192.3

ED. 'STATAQEj-s BAT-ENT. oFFlcEy FULTON moN Application. inea April Y1"?,

\ yThis -inventioni relates 'generally Ato ycane and .'more' specifically to y improved mills,

of roller bearingsfor supporting the rolls of the cane mills.

l 1 Another important obj ect of the invention.

relates tothe provision of cane mill housingsy 4of improved construction whereby certain disadvantages inherent in the housings heretofore employed in building canemills are eliminated. f n

i With the foregoing and other ,objects in view, therinventiony comprises the novel construction, vcombination *and arrangement of described andillustrated in the accompanying draw-v ings, whereinv is shown the preferred embodiment of the invention." However,it is to be understood that the inventionv` comprehends changes, variations and modifications which come within the scope ofthe claims hereunto appended.

Fig. l1 is anelevationof arcane/mill provided with our improved housings,portions ofthe rolls of theA mills at thecenter of said lmillb'eing brokenaway to conserve space.

Fig.' 2 is a sideelevation of the'cane mill illustrated in *Fig-2 1.

ig. 3 is a vertic'a Fig. 1. f ,y

`vFig.- 4 is a vertical; section on `line of Fig. 1.

f'vFig; 5 is` a vertical section online 5-5of VFy`ig-2.

Fig.l e is a Season Op une 6 6 of Fig. a. Fig? is a section on line 7,-7 "of Fig. 3. VFig. 8 lisa sectional detail showing the means for attaching 'certainjrods to thedisks associated with the turnbeam.

l Persons familiar withthe art to which this inventionrelates understand ythe term housy n x ing when used with reference tocane mills to mean the side frames or supporting `elements which rotatably support the rolls'koV the cane-mills at the opposite ends `of said -rolls.' A housing unit is provided with journal boXes-,fortherolls of the `cane mill, and

l; section on line 3-43 of i f vopposite ends'of reduced dlameter-whichare JERNST wyxoPxE ANDMILOUISL s'rmmiscf, or str. Louis, MIssoURLAssIGNoRs To- WORKS COMPANY, 0F fs'r. LOUIS', MISSOURI, A JCORPORATIoNoF CANE MILL .1929.' S'erial No. 355,743.`

frequentlydincludes .a hydraulic top*r cap ings of the roller bearing or ballbearing types. Also, these earlier housings included I transverse bolts that resisted the lateral pressures `exerted against the side. rolls because of the application to the rolls of the mill of the hydraulic load. Thehousingfunits disclosed Aherein include roller A bearings or similar anti-friction bearing elements for supporting 'therolls of the mills whereby the friction incident to the rotationof the rolls fis very materiallyreduced, and also inthe present invention the transverse bolts referred to above. are eliminated. '1

Referringfnow to 'the drawings, A designates a cane mill provided with housings 'convstructed in accordance with this invention,

said housings being designated generallyby the reference character B andthe 4rolls of the mill A being designatedfby the yreference character C. i Therollsv C are constructed in the manner common to rollsof this type,said rollseach having .journal portions Cfattheir :knownas roll necks. Y

By referring yto Fig'. 1 of the drawings, it will be `noted that eachmill includesfa pair ofy sp aced housingsf'B between which the f crushing portions of the vrolls C are disposed,

so.. y

ythe roll necks C. at the opposite ends 'of the rolls being extendedl through lthe' housings BQand-crown wheels D, which Vare arranged rotarymotion` will be transmitted from one yto anotlierooi-said rollsy Considering4 now the ferringto Figs.` 2, 3, yand 4 that eachfhousing B when viewed inside elevation tapers' from certain ywidth. at'the top* of the-housing tol asubstantially greater width at the bottom v in meshing engagement lwith e-ach other, f Y' being` mounted on the roll :necks lwherebyl details of construc-fa5 i tion-, tlie'housings B', it will be noted rby re Aeb toA

or base of the housing. The construction of each of the housings B includes vertically disposed wall elements, from which the transverse webs, which are combined with said vertical wall elements to provide a unitary structure,are extended, and by referring particularly to Fig. 3 it will be noted that the housing illustrated therein is provided witha vertically disposed recess 1, which is provided .at its lower' end with an arcuate seat 2. At the upper edge of the arcuate seat 2 and at opposite sides thereof, the housing is provided with shoulders 3, said shoulders being located in horizontal alinement with the radial center of the arcuate seat 2 asshown in Fig. 3. Above the shoulders'3 the recess 1k provides a guideway for a member 4 which serves as a bearing box for the top roll and is provided with an arcuate Vface 'atits lower end, said member 4 being Vseated on the shoulders 3 so that the arcuate face 5 thereof combines with the arcuate seat 2 to Vprovide acircular wall. The member 4 is ycapable lof vertical movement within the Y recess v1, the opposite side faces of said member contacting with lining elements 6 arranged in contact withv the opposite walls of saidguideway. Seated in a recess provided at thel top of the member 4 is a plate 7 having an'arcuate'seat 8 formed therein at its top face, and 9 designates a plunger provided with a curved lower face which is seated in the arcuate seat 8 of the plate 7 The plunger 9 constitutes a part ofa hydraulic ram 10 vwhich is located within a chamber 1l formed in the cap 12, said chamber being closed by a. closure element 13 -secured in place at the upper end of the chamber. K' y 1 The cap 12 functions as a closure element for the top portion of the guideway 1, said cap having `outwardly extended portions 14 provided with inclined topf faces 15 which `are extended into recesses 16 formed in the opposite side walls of the guideway 1. The recesses 16 are each providedL with an inclined top wall with which the top wall 15 of the associated portion 14 contacts. The outwardly extended portions 14 extend transversely of the housing B, and bolts 17` (Figs. 1, 2, and 4) are extended through said portions andthroughvadjacent portions of the housing, whereby thecap 12 is securely fixed to the housing, and the portions of said housing at opposite sides of the guideway 1 are rigidly tied together.

Formed in each of the housings B at opposite sides thereof are downwardly and inwardly inclined recesses 18, each of saidrecesses at the inner end thereof being closed -by an arcuate wall 19, and ybeing open at its outer end at an inclined wall-of the housing.

i Y At the lower wall thereof each of the inclined recesses is provided with a face 20, and at the inner end of said face said recess 'greater height at the inner end thereof, and

at said inner end of each recess 18 the top and rear walls of the recess are provided with arcuate shoulders 24, as shown in Fig. 3.

Arranged within the opening provided between the arcuate seat 2 of each of the housings B and the arcuate face 5 of the associated bearing box 4, is a roller bearing 25, which comprises a circular bearing housing 26 and annular members 27 and 28, which provide a raceway in which anti-friction rollers 29 are positioned. Thetop roll Cof the cane mill A is supported for rotation by the `roller bearing 25, the journals or necks CAof said top roll at the opposite ends thereof being extended through the raceway members 28 associated with oppositely disposed mill housings B, and said members 28 beingsecurely4 fixed to said roll journals or necks so -that the roll journals and raceway members will rotate as a unit. The bearing housing 26 is provided with a projection 26 which extends into arecess 31 formed in the bearing box 4 so as to prevent rotation of said bearing housing. By referring particularly to Fig. 5 of the drawings it will be noted that the outer face of the bearing housing 26 is curved in a directiontransversely of said bearing housing as indicated by the 4reference character and that the faces of the housing and member 4 with which said curved face contacts are correspondingly curved. .The result of this arrangement is'that the bearing housing is capable of transverse movement within certain limits with respectto the housing by which said bearing housing is supported, hence universal adaptation of the roller "bearing 25 for misalinement ofthe top roll due to irregularities of feed -is'allowed1 In other words, the substantially spherical form ofthe top roll roller bearing housing provides universal adaptability to compensate for irregularities in floating, and in the use of our iming, the load centersare shifted either in-V wardly or outwardly due to the lack of'fiexibilityor adaptability of the top bearing, which' is mounted only for verticalsliding and not for tilting characteristics,vv as inthe use of our invention.

.Referring now to the lower rolls, these 'rolls are also mounted for'rotation in roller bearings, the roller bearings for supporting said lower rolls being disposed within theA Y recesses 18 of ythehousings B, as shown in Fig." rkEach roller bearing asso'ciated'with the low'errollsfof the mill comprises a bearingv housing'l32 provided with acircular upper portion and flat face 33 at the bottom thereof. l The flat face yreferredto contacts with the face of the lower wallfof the associated recess 18, and eachbearing housing 32 is provided with'a face 34 which contacts with the shoulder 21 within the recess. Also', eachV bearing housing 32 isgprovided with a flat face 35 arranged to contactwith one of 1 the pads 22 whichfhave already been referred j Vto herein.

ings vwill rotate as a unit, VAlso, the housing 5j 32j of each roller bearing is provided with forwardly extended kportions 39, the lower faces of which contact with the lower wall of `the associated recess'18 as lshown in Fig. 3.

Extended acrosstheopen end 'of leach of the `recesses 18yis a link/40, said link having va bifurcated lower end portion as shown in Fig. 1. The upper end-portion of each link 40 is extended intoV a recess 41 formed in the associated mill housing B,and the lower bifurcated end of said link straddles an upwardy ly'extended proj ectio-n 42 formed on said mill housing. y

each link is connected to the associated millfhousing B inthey manner and by the `means illustrated in Fig. 7, lsaid means comprising a pair ofoppositelywdisposed conical members 43 arranged in conical openings formed by bushings 43 in the links` and mill 'housing and providedwith alined longitudinally arranged .openings 44 formed therethroughL 45 designates a rod'which" is ex- "tended through the alined openings' referred to, said rod having an enlarged portion 45 at its 'apprcximateicenter and being provided j with screw-threaded opposite ends of reduced -diameteru A. shoulder 46 disposed within the opening formed through each of the conical members 4 3 and 47 designates kaw'asher, which is forced into contact with shoulder nut 46 rby a nut 48 mounted on the adjacent screwthreaded end of the rody 45.V `On inspection of Fig. 7 it will be plainthat in the event any loosenessdevelops in the connection between l.the links 40 and the portions of the mill hous- GO l ings v to which said links are attached," such looseness may be eliminated by merely screwyi'ngjtlienuts 48 inwardly on the screw-threaded ends of the rod 45. conical members 43 to bermoved toward each This. will cause the l other', Awhereby ythe increasing diameterof the bearing housings 32' At the upper and lower end thereof.

thek linwardly movingfconical members `will provide close/contact between the conical members andthe walls ofthev conical openings infwhich said Yconical members aredis- '.7 r

posed. lThe bushings are preferably formed of bronze or other non-corrosive material, so as to prevent freezing of the conical membersresulting from theelfect thereon of acid. While Fig. 7 illustrates only fthe lower end of a link 40, the means for connecting the-upper ends ofthe links to the mill housing is constructed in a similar' manner tothe means illustrated in Fig. '7, hence it lis not thought toV be necessary to illustrate infdetail the upper portionsof'one of the links. The enlargedfportions 45 at thecenters of the rods 45 serve as means to loosen vthe conical members 43, as by removingthe nuts at the ends of the rods 45and tappingthe end of said lrod the portion 45" will Contact with the end ofthe conical member toward which said portion is l moved, :whereby continuedrtapping on the "rod will displace said conical member.V .Ar- 1 ranged on eaclrof the links 40 is a lug 40a which is adapted 'to contact with a lug 40bin the housing of the associated rollerbearing, whereby tilting or outward movement of said roller/bearing is prevented.' ,y 1

Referring now Vto' Fig. r4, v50 designates a turnbeam which extends *across the mill im- `mediately beneath the top roll of themill.

Fixed to the turnbeam at the topthereof is a trash knife 51, the means for 'securing the' trash knife to the turnbeam comprising a plurality of bolts 59. which extend through the turnbeam, as shown in Fig. 4. The trash knife 51 prevents the'traslni. e., small particles vof cane, froin'dropping with the juice which flows downwardly on the periphery of the roll with Vwhich the 'nose portion ofthe trash knife contacts. The mass of cane passingv over the trash knife is subjected somewhat to the pressure of the top roll ofthe mill,

and this downward pressure is transmittedto the turnbeam 50. The turnbeam is thus subjectedto downward pressure, and it mustbe properly constructed and supported ,to'withends preferably rest upon pivot members y53,

each of said Apivot rmembers being extended from afbase 54,supported by'a kprojection f from the housing.l The turnbeam is rockably secured. to the-'pivotmembers by U-b'olts 55,V and the turnbeam thus may be turned on the pivots to move the trash knife 51 toward and away from the millroll with which it is asso- MThe means for adjustingfthe turnbeam comprises horizontal pins or shafts 56 at the pins orshafts being supportedfor rotary movement in" openings in the-walls of the stand such'pressure For this reason the turn- .beamis `a relatively ,heavy casting, and its ,H5

.125 opposite endsof said turnbea1n,ea'ch 'of said y vl mill housings and being provided with. an 'eccentrically arrangedextension 57` formed CIT rod 61 and disk 59 being pivotally connectedby a pivot pin, which extends through apertures in the legs of the -bifurcatedupper end of therod and through one of the apertures formed through the disk. The rod 61 is extended through an aperture formed Vin a lug 62 on the mill housing (Fig. 2), and, at the lower end of the rod 62 same has a pair of nuts and a washer 68 mounted thereon. Interposed between the lug 62 and the washer 63 is an expansible coil spring 64 which tends to move the rod 62 downwardly. At the side of the disk 59 opposite to that side thereof at which the rod 61 is positioned is a similar rod 65. This rod 65 is pivotally attached to the disk V61 by means of a pin which. extends through apertures in the rod and an aperture in the disk. The rod 65 passes through an aperture in a lug 66 formed onthe housing and is provided at its lower end with nut and a washer 67, and interposed between said washer and said lug 66 is a collar 68.

The coil spring 64 tends to move the rod 6l downwardly and thus the eccentric extension 57 on the rod 56 causes the nose portion Vof the turnplate to be maintained in close contact with the associated roll of the mill, whereby trash will be scraped from the mill roll referred to. The rod 65 and associated parts tend tosteady the turnplate in a manner to prevent vibration thereof..

By referring to Fig. 8 it will be noted that the pins 70 by which the rods 61 are attached to the disk 59 are each provided with a central portion 71 of increased diameter, whereby shoulders 72 and 7 3 are provided on said pin. Also, the apertures in the legs of the bifurcated upper portions of the rods 61 and 65 are of greater diameter than the associated pins 70. To insert the pins 70 in position where they attach therods to the disk,'said rods are arranged in such positions that the apertures formed through the legs of the bifurcated portions thereof are alined horizontally with the disk apertures'through which the pins 7 0 are to be extended. The pins 70 are then arranged in place in said alined apertures, and thereafter the rods 61 and 65` are moved downwardly until the tops of the walls of the apertures in the legs of said rods contact with the tops of the portions of the pins at the opposite ends thereof. When the y parts are so positioned the inner faces of the legs of the rods will contact with the shoulders 72 andl 73 on the pins, whereby said Y of the link is attached (Fig. 3). This space 75 serves as a passageway for shims, which it may be desired to introduce between the rfaces 20 vof the inclined recesses 18 and the bottom faces of the housings of the roller bearings 32 for the purpose of adjusting the i mill rolls supported by said roller bearings upwardly. The curved ends thereof provide additional space within the recesses whereby upward adjustment of the roller bearings 32 is permitted. In order to provide for upward movement of the lower rolls so that shims may be arranged within the recesses 18, we form outwardly extended lugs 76 on the outer facesof the housings B (Fig. 4). A suitable jack is interposed between the lugs 76 and the roll necks, and said jack operated to elevate the rolls sufficiently to permit insertion of the shims. In the case of our improved housing the pressure angle, or the angle of relationship between the bottom rolls and the c vtop roll, is always maintained unchanged under all required roll adjustments, and this is contrary to general practice in connection with the use of mill housings employed heretofore. The Amain advantage in this connection is that the turnplate width and setting is not disturbed to the same degree or in the same manner as has heretofore been the case.

A feature of this invention which is of extreme importance resides in the fact that we eliminate transverse bolts, side caps, jack screws or wedges, and `adjusting bolts by maintaining a constant pressure angle at all settings through which all forces are directed along the hypotenuse of the angle to the baseof the housing. The bases of the side roller bearing housings rest on planedsurfaces .approximately to the pressure angle hypotenuse, thereby eliminating the customary horizontal thrust common to other designs. Horizontal alinement of the rolls is assuredthrough the p'laned surfaces referred to above, and any outward rolling of the roll is prevented by the extended portions 39 on the roller bearing housings which also rest on the angular roller bearing rest surfaces.

It willbe noted that thereplacing of rolls and bearings has been made a very simple task because of the construction of our improved housing. The completed assembly of the roller bearing units are placed on the roll journals, and by removal of the top cap or side links, the entire roll including the crown wheels and bearings may be dropped 'into place or removed in a like manner.

Forming a part of each assembled roller f bearing unit is a look ring 7 7 which screws into the roller bearing shell and closes the raceway thereof. Adjustable ring glands 78 and 79 retain ring packings 78 andv79 at each end of the bearing assembly, thus pre-y venting the loss of lubricant from the roller chamber and excluding the entry of juices or foreign matter. For locking .the roller races in position, two sleeves areprovided, the inner sleeve 80 being retained yby a shoulder 81 on the roll shaft, and the outer sleeve 82 being retained in fixed position by contact with a crown wheel. Y

The value of the application of roller bearings to roll journals of a sugar mill is very apparent. The saving in horsepower under load due to frictionis very substantial. In

addition, lubricating troubles are reduced to a minimum since the grease reservoirs formed Vtion through which bearing adjusting provided between the inner end of the bifur-V cated portion and the associated housing pcre e.' ments may be introduced into the associated recess.

-In testimony that we claim the foregoing we hereunto affix our signatures.

ERNST W. KOPKE.

LOUIS J. STRUEBIG.

in the roller cages maintain a constant supply of lubricant. Y reservoirs are sealed against lubricant leakage and contamination by cane juices orother foreign matter from the outside. By preventing juice from entering the lubricant of the journal, we not only prevent its contamination but preclude the corrosive action of juice acids on the shaftjournals. Juice guards to prevent cane juices from fouling the lubrication of the journals are unnecessary, and the entire water cooling system for cooling the journals of the rolls is likewise rendered unnecessary.

We claim:

1. A housing for a crushing mill compris ing a supporting element provided with a pair of recesses arrangedto receive the bearings of the lower rolls of the mill, said recesses being inclinedy inwardly and downwardly with respect to the housing, and being open at their outer ends at walls of said housing, and links extended across the open ends of said recesses.-said links being connected at their opposite ends to portions of the housing at opposite sides of the recesses, and each of said links being provided with' a rectangularv passageway formed therethrough through which shims may be introduced into the associated recess to adjust the position of the bearing therein.

2. A housing for a crushing mill compris-V ing a supporting element `vprovided 4withV a pair of recesses arranged to receive the bearings of the lower rolls of the mill, said recesses being inclined inwardly and down- As stated` above, thesev wardly with respect to the housing, and be- 

